Unmasking at Sunrise
by thatonegirlwiththehat
Summary: Sometimes, when he's alone, a memory will crack Itachi's mask of indifference. This time, he will have to confront his fears and concern instead of burying it deep like normal. Conclusion: Not even death will keep him from protecting his little brother.


_A/N: First time ever writing from Itachi's POV. I never really cared about him... I don't like Sasuke, and all the Uchihas seemed to be were a bunch of jerks *coughSasukeandhisdadcough* and he has almost the same hair as me, and I'm a girl and a tomboy at that, so I labeled him a pansy. Then it was revealed that he was pretty much my favorite type of character. But he was already dead. So I can offer him some sort of respect, but I'm not really gonna ever have him in a favorite characters list... Obito is my favorite Uchiha anyways. So why am I writing a story about Itachi?_

_1. I wanna practice third person single POV thoughts._

_2. I wanna practice angst in an emotionless character._

_3. I wanna see if I can keep Itachi in character_

_4. I wanna give a little voice to the real Itachi, the one we didn't see until after he was dead_

_5. Kisame is Itachi's partner and I like Kisame so if I get to mention Kisame than of course I want to write! (Kisame is mentioned once... T_T)_

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><p>Itachi lay in bed, not wanting to get up. The dream of last night haunted him, bringing a smile to his lips and tears to his eyes. Memories would do that to him, when he allowed them to surface. He lay there in bed, curled up, reminiscing with all the pain of the survivor of a tragedy. It was at these moments that he most resembled the Itachi before Anbu.<p>

As only a ninja could, he pushed back his emotions, letting the familiar aloof mask fall over his features. He got up to watch the sunrise, having woken up much earlier than usual because of that dream. The sunrise here looked different than in the Land of Fire. Somehow, it seemed more distant. It was still beautiful, but Itachi would give anything to see the sunrise in Konoha again.

As he watched the sun, and thought about watching it in Konoha, he unconsciously slipped back into memories. Catching himself just as he was about to relax into the same state he had been in when he was lying in bed, he inwardly scolded himself and went back to watching the sunrise.

Somewhere, Sasuke could be doing the very same thing. He could be reliving the same exact memories. Itachi did not smile, but maybe he would have, if the mask he wore was not so firmly in place. It had been years, but he still couldn't help thinking of his little brother.

Itachi allowed thoughts of Sasuke, his single weakness, to penetrate the mask a little further. His eyebrows bent in concern as Itachi wondered just where Sasuke was and what he was doing. An overwhelming wave of guilt washed over him before he could stop it. Orochimaru was after Sasuke, that much Itachi knew, but had he gotten to his little brother yet? What if Orochimaru had taken over Sasuke's body?

A shudder crept over Itachi. He recognized his mask fading it away and hastily straightened up into his normal nonchalant posture and set his face into a cool facade. He tried to send all concerns and worries away, out of his mind, but it still persisted. Itachi sighed and dealt with them the only way he knew how.

_Sasuke could be under Orochimaru's control. Orochimaru could have taken over his body!_

_No. Sasuke is too smart to allow Orochimaru to do that. Besides, Orochimaru would take action once he had control of a sharingan._

_Sasuke could be planning to, you don't know if he's smart enough not to let Orochimaru take over his body._

_He is an Uchiha, and my brother. He will know._

_Forget Orochimaru, you saw him. That was a big mistake, telling him to hate you. He's become obsessed. What good will a hatred-obsessed hero do for your precious village?_

_The village I sacrificed everything for? I believe in Sasuke. He will become strong._

_Strong with the hatred that you implanted?_

If Itachi were anyone else, he probably would've told that persistent voice to shut up. Instead, he shoved it back in the corner of his mind where it wouldn't disturb him. The seed of worry, though, had been planted.

Itachi gazed out at the sunrise, feeling guilty and worried about his little brother. Sasuke was on his own, with no one to raise him, so wasn't it right that his only brother worry about him a little? Maybe, by worrying, those feelings could reach Sasuke. He should know that Itachi was taking an interest in his life, and wanted Sasuke to turn out alright.

Sasuke was still young, but he was at an age where most friendships were firmly established. Was Sasuke listening to his jonin sensei? How did he get along with his genin teammates? One of them was the kyuubi jinchuuriki, Naruto Uzumaki. The other a pink-haired girl that Itachi had to struggle to remember. Were Sasuke and Naruto friends? What about the little girl? Did Sasuke have feelings for her, or did she have feelings for him? Did Sasuke already have a girlfriend? But who would talk to him about these sort of things? What if his heart had already been broken? What if he was gay? Who would talk to him... about relationships? Would he even open up his heart to anyone, or would he harden himself against emotion?

It was enough to give Itachi a headache. He had entrusted Sasuke to the third Hokage, Danzo, and the Konoha Council but he really didn't know how Sasuke was being raised. Itachi thought ahead to his final battle, and decided that he would measure what sort of man Sasuke had become then. Until then, he would have to place his trust and worries in the hands of those who had ordered the Uchiha massacre.

Only after recognizing that Kisame's occasional jesting moods were rubbing off on him, did Itachi allow himself his final thought: _And if I see that they have raised Sasuke up to be someone I do not approve of, who is unfit to be the hero I am sacrificing all for him to be, I can always haunt those responsible._

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><p><em>AN: Review or Itachi will haunt you._


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